As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.
Mwanyike nangwa waumvwine bumvu, bino wajinga nangovu kabiji waile kubwipi nakwajinga inetu bajinga najimi. Balongo bauno mwanyike wamukazhi ba ambile amba, “Tusa kumulamanga uno inetu ne mwananji bulongo.”
Shy but brave, the little girl moved nearer to the woman.
“We must keep her with us,” the little girl’s people decided. “We’ll keep her and her child safe.”
Everyone began to argue.
“We said we would keep mother and child safe, and that’s what we’ll do,” said some.
“But they will bring us bad luck!” said others.
Namambo aino milanguluko ya bantu, uno inetu witaine bunke jikwabo. Kechi wayukile bya kuuba nayewa mwana wabujile kulumbuluka ne. Kikwabo kekya kuuba amba kechi wayukile bya kuuba ne.
And so the woman found herself alone again.
She wondered what to do with this awkward child.
She wondered what to do with herself.
But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.
Nanchi inge auno mwana waikeletu pakipimo kimo kwakubula kukoma, inge kyawamineko. Pano uno mbongolo wamwana wakomenengatu pakatu nyuma ya ba inanji yakeepa kabiji keakankalwe kufikamo munyuma. Nanchi nangwa waesekelenga kumwesha byubilo bya bumuntu byepi, bino kechi wakonsheshe kwikala nobe muntu ne. Onkao mambo, ba inanji jaavujishatu baikalangatu bakooka kabiji nakijikila. Kimo kimye ba inanji baubanga mingilo yafwainwa kwingila banyama.
Now, if the child had stayed that same, small size, everything might have been different. But the donkey child grew and grew until he could no longer fit on his mother’s back.
And no matter how hard he tried, he could not behave like a human being. His mother was often tired and frustrated. Sometimes she made him do work meant for animals.
Kuvulañana ne bukaji byakomenenga mu uno Mbongolo. Kechi wakonsheshe kuuba kintu kiji kyonse ne. Kabiji kechi wakonsheshenga kwikala ne. Kabiji watendekele kwikala bingi nabukaji. Juuba jimo wazhingijile bingi kabiji wapanchile bainanji nakibaaka bapona ne panshi.
Confusion and anger built up inside Donkey. He couldn’t do this and he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t be like this and he couldn’t be like that.
He became so angry that, one day, he kicked his mother to the ground.
By the time he stopped running, it was night, and Donkey was lost.
“Hee haw?” he whispered to the darkness.
“Hee Haw?” it echoed back. He was alone.
Curling himself into a tight ball, he fell into a deep and troubled sleep.
Donkey woke up to find a strange old man staring down at him. He looked into the old man’s eyes and started to feel a twinkle of hope.
Mbongolo waikelenga nauno mukote wamulume kabiji wamufunjishileko bintu byavula pa byo afwainwa kwikala mubwikalo. Mbongolo waumvwijilenga kabiji ne kufunda. Uno shetu mukote neaye waubilenga kintu-kimo. Bekwashanga ne kuseka pamo.
Donkey went to stay with the old man, who taught him many different ways to survive.
Donkey listened and learned, and so did the old man. They helped each other, and they laughed together.
Juuba jimo lukeelo, uno mukote wamulume wabujile Mbongolo kumupaapa nekumutwala peulu ya mutumba.
One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.
High up amongst the clouds they fell asleep.
Donkey dreamed that his mother was sick and calling to him.
And when he woke up…
… makumbi azhimañene pamo namukwabo, aye mukote.
… the clouds had disappeared along with his friend, the old man.
Mbongolo ponkapo wasajile bya kuuba.
Donkey finally knew what to do.
Mbongolo wataine ba inanji bunke saka bajila mwanabo waelekele. Basambakene ne kwitala kimye kyabaya. Ponkapo Mbongolo ne ba inanji bepakachijilemo kyakosa bingi.
Donkey found his mother, alone and mourning her lost child. They stared at each other for a long time.
And then hugged each other very hard.
Mbongolo ne ba inanji bakomejile pamo ne kutana mashinda akwikajilamo. Bisemi bikwabo byatendekele pachepache kwiya nakushimika ne kwikala konka kobekalajila.
The donkey child and his mother have grown together and found many ways of living side by side.
Slowly, all around them, other families have started to settle.
